Real case: what to do if you were paid with a counterfeit bill?

Do you know what's in your wallet? It would seem that money and money, nothing unusual.

Take a closer look to see if they have all the signs of authenticity required by the Central Bank. Eat? This means that all banknotes are real. But what to do if you come across a suspicious bill?

If you realize that the money is counterfeit, do not try to pay with it!

For selling counterfeit cash when you know it is counterfeit, you can get up to eight years in prison under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Article 186. Production, storage, transportation or sale of counterfeit money or securities. . If you have a suspicious bill, you need to go to the bank or the police.

We hand over counterfeit money to the bank

With a detected counterfeit banknote, you can contact any banking institution “Regulations on the procedure for conducting cash transactions and the rules for storage, transportation and collection of banknotes and coins of the Bank of Russia in credit institutions on the territory of the Russian Federation” (approved by the Bank of Russia on April 24, 2008 No. 318-P) . . A bank employee will check the banknotes and determine which category they fall into: doubtful, insolvent or showing signs of counterfeit.

• Insolvent bills are stamped “exchange refused”, after which they are returned to you. Of course, you cannot pay with them in the future.
• For that are dubious or have signs of counterfeiting, a certificate is drawn up indicating all the details of banknotes and an order for the transfer of valuables. You will be given certificates and banknotes to verify the correctness of the specified data, and then the money will be taken away for verification, which is carried out within 5 working days.

Who will compensate for the loss?

Counterfeit banknotes cannot be exchanged. The only way to get yours back is to obtain compensation from the culprit.

“As part of a criminal case, the victim can file a claim for compensation for material damage directly from the culprit, in the amount in which he received counterfeit bills from him. Any organization, including a hairdresser, in which the victim paid for services with counterfeit bills, can also sue for the recovery of material damage from the culprit. To do this, a legal entity (hair salon) must also be recognized as a victim in a criminal case,” emphasizes Vera Efremova.

But the chances here are slim. According to lawyer Marat Amanliev, even if they find the people who bought the phone, it is almost impossible to establish that it was they who sold the counterfeit funds. In their explanations, they may indicate that they paid with real money and have nothing to do with counterfeits.

“It will be necessary to carry out a whole range of operational-search activities, various examinations, including establishing whether there are fingerprints of these persons on the banknotes. Conduct searches in apartments for counterfeit banknotes. So, the issue of bringing to justice those who sold counterfeit banknotes remains open. Therefore, if you realize that the banknotes are counterfeit and your time is valuable, it will be easier to tear them up, throw them away and forget them,” the expert brings to a disappointing conclusion.

Handing in counterfeit money to the police

Counterfeit banknotes can be handed over directly to the police. Before doing this, remember how the bill got into your wallet, at what retail outlet you could have received it, and who could have paid you with it. You will have to testify.

A case will be opened regarding the discovery of a fake at the station, special examinations and investigation will be carried out. When questioned, describe in detail the conditions under which you received these banknotes.

Insist that you did not know that the banknotes were counterfeit before this fact was discovered. Checks, interrogations and investigations can drag on for a month or longer.

Perhaps you simply don’t have time to tinker with a suspicious bill and run through authorities. Money can simply be torn, burned or cut into small pieces. But at the same time, there will still be a possibility that you will destroy a tattered or just an old real bill.

How to recognize a counterfeit bill?

What should you pay attention to if you have doubts about the authenticity of a banknote?

— First of all, lift the banknote above your eyes and look at it in the light. A genuine banknote must have clear watermarks, perforations, and a security thread. Counterfeiters know how to fake watermarks, but they turn out dark and uneven: this is also a marker for a counterfeit banknote.

— You can tell that this is a fake by the quality of the paper: a special cellulose-free material is used for money, which differs from the paper used for printing books or magazines. “Money” paper can be distinguished by touch, or you can do a little experiment: drop iodine on the banknote, if it turns blue, then the bill contains cellulose, this is a fake.

— There are special relief marks on paper money. They are needed for visually impaired people so that they can also distinguish counterfeit bills. These marks help not only citizens with poor eyesight: the signs should protrude and be easily palpable. For example, on a five-thousandth banknote the following should be palpable: the inscriptions “Bank of Russia ticket” and “five thousand rubles”, an image of the number 5000 and, in fact, a mark for visually impaired people.

— Another effective way to recognize a fake is to twist the bill in different directions. On a real banknote, when you change the viewing angle, the image on the security line should change, hidden images will appear (on the five-thousandth bill, images of the letters PP and hidden moire stripes will appear). It is these security features that are most difficult for fraudsters to fake.

How to determine the authenticity of 50 and 100 euros? Infographics Read more

Is it possible to return or exchange money?

Of course, finding counterfeit money in your wallet is a very sad event. Especially if this concerns older people who, due to poor eyesight, may not notice a counterfeit bill.

If you are absolutely sure where you got the bill from, and investigative measures have been taken that confirm your version, then you can try to get compensation in court. But still, it is very unlikely that it will be possible to compensate for this financial loss. And the whole process can take many months.

If such an unpleasant incident happens to you, and there is no more money left before your payday, a microloan or a small loan from a bank can help you out.

Criminal liability

The main thing is that in no case should you try to get rid of a fake by purchasing a product. It may turn out that the fake will be discovered and then serious problems will arise with law enforcement agencies.

The fact is that the presence of punishment for counterfeiting does not mean that only the one who, in fact, counterfeited the money is responsible.

Article 186 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation implies that liability also extends to the storage, transportation and sale of counterfeits . It is very difficult to prove your non-involvement in a crime. As for the punishment itself, the sanction of this article provides:

1. Imprisonment (up to 8 years), forced labor (up to 5 years) or a fine (up to 1 million rubles).
2. Imprisonment (up to 12 years) and a fine (up to 1 million rubles) if the act was committed on a large scale.
3. Imprisonment (up to 15 years) and a fine (up to 1 million rubles) if the crime was committed by an organized group.

It is not necessary to take counterfeit money to the bank or the police (especially if it is unknown where it came from in the wallet). The bill can simply be destroyed, that is, burned or torn. But in order not to destroy real money, it is still better to check it first.

Every citizen must be able to recognize a counterfeit, and this applies not only to rubles, but also to other currencies. Even despite the fact that modern criminals know how to make banknotes almost identical to the real ones, and often a specialist without the appropriate equipment cannot give a definite answer about their real value.

Reflection in accounting

In accounting, the withdrawal should be reflected by the entry: Dt 73 Kt 50. Its amount will coincide with the denomination of the questionable banknote. After the responsible employee transfers the banknote to the bank and brings a supporting document (certificate, memorial order) to the accounting department, you need to register the entry D-t 76 K-t 73. Then, if, according to the results of the examination, the banknote turns out to be counterfeit, write it off in D- t of account 94 “Shortages and losses from damage to valuables” in correspondence with account 76. And then everything depends on whether the cashier is found guilty or the amount of the shortfall will be covered by the organization’s funds. In the first case, it is necessary to register the posting D-t 73 K-t 94, and in the second - D-t 91 K-t 94.

When determining the cashier’s guilt or lack thereof, you need to remember that, on the one hand, the cashier bears full financial responsibility for the valuables transferred to him and must compensate in full for the damage caused to the organization. On the other hand, the organization is obliged to create conditions for the cashier to perform his official duties. In particular, to ensure, for example, the availability of special technical means to identify dubious banknotes. In addition, an agreement on full financial responsibility must be concluded with the cashier.

What if the bank refuses to accept a suspicious bill?

In Krasnoyarsk, there have been cases when bank tellers refused to accept dubious banknotes for examination. For example, in February, a pensioner brought an allegedly counterfeit 100-ruble note to one of the banks. But there they refused to accept her dubious bill and advised her to return it through an ATM. In another bank, exactly the same story was repeated. As a result, the woman was never able to establish the authenticity of the 100-ruble note.

So, refusal to accept dubious banknotes for examination is not allowed. If a commercial bank did not help you, you can complain to the Internet reception of the Central Bank. The complaint must describe your problem and provide contact information. It takes seven days to process the request.

The Krasnoyarsk branch of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation also has contact numbers (391) 227-22-35 or 259-06-10.

How to prove you're right

The main mistake of the affected clients was that they did not check the bills they received on the spot and did not make sure of their authenticity. Lawyers recommend checking immediately at the ATM, but you should not put money in your wallet or pocket. If fakes are discovered, it is advisable to attract witnesses and immediately call the police.

Please note that if the bills have not been counted and viewed in front of the self-service terminal camera, then the user has virtually no chance of proving the receipt of counterfeit banknotes (although the available video recording may not help in the investigation due to low quality). However, even in this case, it makes sense to contact the police, since the more statements are written from affected citizens, the higher the likelihood of finding the culprit.

In addition, the bank will be obliged to accept the client's claim and consider it within the framework of standard procedures. During the investigation, employees of the financial institution will analyze the transaction log, which should record the serial numbers of banknotes passing through the validator. In this case, the serial numbers of the fakes will be identical.

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Also, lawyers do not recommend trying to return counterfeit banknotes to an ATM, since the victim could easily become a suspect in the current situation. Remember, if the client does not try to sell the “joke bank” tickets in any way, there is no crime in his actions.

According to experts, today it is very difficult to prove the fact of receiving counterfeit bills from an ATM. It is also not easy to find the fraudsters who initially put these banknotes into the bill acceptor, since it is difficult for investigative authorities to prove which person deposited the counterfeit money into the ATM.

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about the author

Olga Pikhotskaya is a financial expert. Higher education with a degree in Finance from the Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade named after Mikhail Tugan-Baranovsky. She worked for five years at the First Ukrainian International Bank. Olga has a certificate from Home Credit Bank for completing training under the FinClass program. In 2021, she confirmed her knowledge by receiving the “Chief Financial Analyst” and “Outsourced Financier” awards from the Bank of Russia. [email protected]

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Main characteristics of the 5 thousand banknote

Let's look at what a real 5000 bill looks like. It came into circulation in 2006 and has not been reissued since then. The opposite situation was with the 1000 banknote; it was modified several times. So, the protection of the 5000 banknote remained at the same level as more than 10 years ago.

Due to the high growth in the share of handicrafts of this denomination in recent years, there is every reason to believe that the Central Bank will decide to modify and add degrees of protection.

Most Russians know very well what a real 5 thousandth banknote looks like, its appearance, and what is depicted on it. Just in case, let's remember:

• The size of the 5000 bill is 157 by 69 mm;
• it is made in orange;
• on the front part there is a monument to Nikolai Nikolaevich Muravyov-Amursky, which was installed in Khabarovsk;
• on the reverse - Khabarovsk Bridge over the Amur.

The size of the 1000 ruble banknote is similar to the five thousandth, these are banknotes of the same sample. “New items” of money turnover in 200 and 2000 rubles. also have a similar size. But, of course, you need to look at external signs, and at special protective elements. The scammers will definitely respect the appearance.

What they really do in Russia

You haven't forgotten WHERE we live, have you? Even in the bank, employees violate their duties: for example, some do not want to bother with long verification procedures.

Such workers simply give their counterfeits back to customers. Or they will watch enough films and begin to demonstratively behave with you like counterfeiters.

An unscrupulous employee may convince the client that his bill is counterfeit. The client is confused, and the bank employee claims that he is ready to simply withdraw the bill without calling the police or filling out documents.

Of course, the majority agrees. My mother once fell for this trick.

How to check a 5 thousandth bill with a magnifying glass

Of course, the average citizen does not walk around with a magnifying glass. But if you are planning to make some kind of large transaction, having this device will not hurt. For example, if you are selling a second hand car or any other expensive item.

The Central Bank gives recommendations on how to identify a fake 5000 bill from a real one using a magnifying glass with 8-10 times magnification. It can be bought at any office supply store.

How to recognize a counterfeit 5000 bill:

1. If you enlarge this area, it will be clear that it consists of small inscriptions “5000”.
2. Even if you look closely without a magnifying glass, you will see that the embossing after the word “Russia” first has a color identical to the font, but then turns into barely visible colorless stripes.
3. Take a closer look at the far bank of the river in the image, it is also an element of protection. When you zoom in, you can see that the drawing is graphic, and among the curved lines there are the abbreviations RR and CBRF.
4. The upper part of the ornament of the depicted ribbon contains repeating numbers of the banknote denomination.
5. This is a microtest similar to the first point.
6. The upper left corner of the banknote is made in the form of a micropattern of geometric shapes.
7. Another microtest - all the stripes in this area, when enlarged, turn into rows of denomination numbers.
8. In the part of the pattern, which is made in crimson color, under magnification the types of abbreviations of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation become visible.
9. These stripes on the back, under a magnifying glass, end into rows of text “TsBR5000”.
10. A similar micropattern as in the sixth point.

Now you know how to distinguish a fake 5000 rubles from the original. Be sure to use these methods, especially if you often make cash payments. And remember that counterfeit 1000 rubles are also quite common, study the features of this banknote as well. Find out what is shown on the 1000 banknote, what it looks like, modifications of the banknote, how to distinguish it from a counterfeit one.

The numbers of counterfeit banknotes are periodically published in the media. This happens when large batches are identified. Keep an eye on the news if a large cash transaction is planned.

Self-defense rules

Unfortunately, today the Central Bank of the Russian Federation obligatorily communicates special information about series, numbers of seized counterfeit banknotes, etc. only to subordinate cash settlement centers and banks. Employees of non-credit institutions involved in handling cash must distinguish counterfeits independently at their own peril and risk.

A few simple rules will help you minimize the risk of receiving counterfeit banknotes, as well as avoid unpleasant situations in cash transactions and financial losses:

• study the signs of the authenticity of banknotes and carefully inspect accepted banknotes, especially large denominations. Use several different authentication features to verify;
• when exchanging large sums in banks, write down the numbers and series of all your bills in advance to prevent their substitution;
• If you often have large sums on your hands, use special technical means to verify the authenticity of banknotes.

And finally, if you do find a dubious banknote in your wallet, do not try to spend it in a store or market. Remember that in this case, in addition to financial losses, you may also lose time and nerves, finding out the origin of this money with employees of the internal affairs bodies.

I'm not sure if the banknote is real. How to determine?

If you have doubts about the authenticity of money, you can contact any commercial bank. A free examination will be carried out here.

“Most often, bank specialists carry it out right away. If the bill is damaged but can be exchanged, the bank will issue you a new one. When bank employees have doubts, they send the banknote to us, the Bank of Russia, for verification. The results of this check will allow the bank to credit your account if the banknote turns out to be real. If the banknote is counterfeit, its value, unfortunately, will not be reimbursed to you,” explained Sergei Zhuravlev, manager of the Bank of Russia branch.

The counterfeit is either destroyed at the bank or returned to the “owner” with a stamp indicating the invalidity of the banknote.

What to do if you get a fake

They can slip a fake anywhere. This could be a store clerk giving change, a conductor on a bus, etc. Store owners themselves often encounter this when they discover counterfeit items in their proceeds. Of course, most often a high risk of receiving counterfeit money occurs during a purchase and sale transaction of an expensive item.

It is much easier to slip a counterfeit into a package, so it is important to be able to identify a counterfeit or conduct such transactions using non-cash payments. If a person nevertheless discovers a real fake, this money should never be used.

Important! Even if there is a desire to pay with such a bill, it should be remembered that for this a citizen will face criminal liability under Art. 186 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Which banknotes are most often counterfeited?

Counterfeiters have worked and are working always and everywhere. Even a hundred years ago, when there was no modern technology, counterfeit rubles periodically fell into the hands of citizens. Now banknotes have become more secure; they are equipped with numerous degrees of protection. But criminals are not asleep either; they adapt to circumstances and create counterfeit banknotes of 5000, 1000 and other denominations.

Previously, money of 1000 rubles was the most counterfeited in Russia. This was at a time when this bill was the largest in the country. New types of thousandth banknotes were constantly being developed, each subsequent version being more and more secure. But that didn’t help either.

When 5000 banknotes were put on the market, at first the scammers did not touch them. But it was a matter of time: they studied the banknote and came up with techniques for counterfeiting it. As a result, the fake 5000 gradually became more widespread and surpassed the fake 1000 rubles in volume. There are rumors about the release of new 1000 notes. If this happens, then these banknotes will traditionally be the most reliable.

Figures for 2021 announced by the Central Bank:

• More often there are not real 5-thousandth banknotes;
• in total, 41,335 counterfeit banknotes were identified over the past year;
• the amount of “fake” money increased by 7.4% compared to last year;
• Among the total number of cases identified, there were 28,668 cases per nominal value of 5 thousand;
• in second place in terms of counterfeiting is the following denomination. Fake 1000 rubles were encountered 8602 times;
• criminals have learned to counterfeit the new 2000 banknotes; 2,788 have already been identified in a year.

The scale is serious, and these are only the revealed facts. Therefore, it is important to know how to check the authenticity of a 5000 bill. This is the highest denomination; if a citizen falls into the hands of a counterfeit, a citizen suffers significant financial losses. In addition, it is the one that is counterfeited more often than others, so you need to be on your guard.

Carefully! You can be deceived in the store!

As a rule, many people find out that a banknote is counterfeit in a store at the time they pay for any purchase with banknotes. And the seller reports this. But, as a rule, in almost half of such cases there is deception on the part of the “unclean” seller. Such sellers figure out the “victim” by examining the line at the checkout, choosing people who are confused, thoughtful, sad, or depressed by some of their own thoughts. And very often elderly people fall into the “victim” category.

The scheme has been worked out and is known. If a potential victim pays with a large bill, the seller begins to examine it, after which he asks to wait and goes to another room. When returned, the seller declares that the money is counterfeit and begins to threaten to call the police and hand over the buyer as a counterfeiter. As a rule, ignorant buyers in this case get scared and try to resolve the issue with the least amount of problems, agreeing to leave the bill to the seller, pay in another way and quickly leave. The seller’s goal in such a situation is to drive out the deceived buyer as quickly as possible and appropriate the money for himself.